The present invention relates to an apparatus for taking hold of, lifting, transporting and putting down centrifuge drums of mechanically loaded and unloaded centrifuges for clearing oil and water therefrom, and washing, drying and other processing of pieces of material in industry, having a traveling hoist, able to be moved between at least two stations and supporting a lifting and lowering system, on whose end, which can be run out into a working position, there is a gripper for gripping such a centrifuge drum near its top edge.
An apparatus on these lines is known in the prior art, see German Offenlegungsschrift specification No. 2,030,591.
In the known apparatus for processing pieces of material in industry a centrifuge, whose centrifuge drum may be lifted out of position, has a loading station and an unloading station. In the loading station the centrifuge drum is loaded with the material to be processed, whereas in the unloading station the centrifuge drum, full of the processed material, is placed on a tipping system in which the centrifuge drum may be turned, for example through 180.degree., so that the processed material may be put in a box. The apparatus for taking hold of, lifting and transporting the centrifuge drum, for this reason takes up a drum full of the material to be processed, puts it down in the centrifuge, then takes up the unloaded centrifuge drum in the unloading station and puts it into the loading station, so that when its turn comes it may take up the drum processed in the centrifuge and put it down in the unloading station.
The apparatus of this earlier invention has the shortcoming however that the unloading of the centrifuge drum is only possible in the tipping unit in the unloading station. In the trade however it is frequently best for the centrifuge drums, full of processed material, to be unloaded at different positions, and for example unloading at different, desired positions may be necessary and different sorts of pieces of material are processed in the trade or pieces of material of one single sort are to be differently processed.